The end is the beginning
by Alinys
Summary: After recieving a near fatal wound Elmyn finds herself in the care of her best friend and a mysterious man. The three of them now must work together to change the fate of the world.
1. Chapter 1

She was in pain, a lot of pain. It jolted through her side with each bounce. She vaguely rememberd a dagger between her ribs. 'Why am I bouncing?'  
Someone yelled something that sounded like a command. It sounded far away to her. 'Who's yelling? Where am I?'  
She regained and lost consiousness over the next few hours.

She heard faint sounds in the background, two people talking. She wasn't bouncing up and down anymore. 'That's good' she thought.

'She was hurt pretty bad, I'm not sure if she'll make it.' a male voice said.  
'We need to get Cera here, she can help. I am sure of it!' another man exlaimed.  
'Go get her then. We need her healing power or else I'm afraid for her life.'

The second man hastily left the room while the first stayed with the wounded woman.  
'Em, stay with us, help is on the way.'  
'I need to stop the bleeing somehow.' he thought to himself. 'I need to get her leather armor off and stop the bleeding for now.'

He knew he had to stop the bleeding fast so he reached for his dagger and cut through the leather corsets bindings to get it off of her as quickly as possible. He then grabbed clean linnens and a bowl of boiled water which he had prepared earlier. The stabwound had cut deep but he couldn't see if it had hit any of her vitals. He used a large part of the linnen to keep pressure on the wound to stop the bleeding.

After 15 long minutes the other man came back with a woman, Cera. Without saying a thing to eachother she moved to the wounded woman on the bed and started her incantation for the heal spell.

A good hour later the wound seemed to have closed. The bleeding stopped and her heartbeat and breating had returned to normal. 'Now she needs rest.' the woman named Cera said. 'let us leave the room.'  
'I will stay with her for now, just in case'. Cera looked up at the man who had stayed with her best friend and stopped her from bleeding do death. She just nodded at his and left the room. She was exhausted and needed to sleep.

When she woke up it was still dark. 'Still or again?' she thought to herself. 'How long have I been out?' She tried to speak but found her voince gone. She opened her eyes again. It was a bit lighter now, candlelight...or a hearth.  
She tried to sit up but her whole body protested. She then found a stong hand on her shoulder, pushing her back onto the bed. 'you need to rest some more.' A warm voice said to her. 'Water' It was all she could say at that point. After a few seconds she felt the same hand cup her neck and bring her up a bit. A cup was brought to her mouth and she drank a few sips of refershing water.  
'Thank you.' she said. 'You are welcome.' he replied. She could hear the smile on his lips.  
'His voice.' she thought. 'It sounds so...mysterious.' She felt her ears go red at the thought that flashed through her mind then. 'good thing it's dark in this room.'  
'What are you smiling about?' She heard his voice again. 'Crap...he noticed.'  
'Just happy to be alive.' She blurted out quickly. 'How long have been out for?'  
'About two days. but enough of the talking, you should sleep and get more rest. If you need anything I'll be here.' She heard that same tone in his voice as before.

Around two days later she was fit enough to sit up and grab a cup of water from the nightsand herself.  
'Glad to see you felling better' she heard a familair voice say. Her best friend of 6 years, Cera, was sitting next to her bed. The grin on her face was wide and het eyes wet with tears of joy. Her best friend survived a what should have been fatal stabwound.  
'Don't cry Cera, I'm fine'. Right when she said that a painspike went through her side and she groaned. 'Ok, I'm not fine yet'.  
'Just glad you are alive. I'll report to the big boss and let you rest some more'.  
Cera got up, straightend her skirt en kissed her friend on her forehead. 'See you tomorrow!'  
'Yeah, see you tomorrow'.  
After a few more sips of water she decided it was time to sleep a bit more, she was exhausted.

**********

He watched her sleep, her full pink lips slightly parted as she breathed steadily.  
'I only just met her and I can't keep my eyes off of her, Damn it.' He thought to himself.  
Instead of looking ah her he started at the wall in front of him thinking of his next mission.  
He was so deep in thought he didn't notice her wake up.  
'A penny for your thoughts?' She asked, scaring the living hell out of him. The cup he was holding flew through the air, the contents, water, landing in his lap.  
'Damn it lady, don't scare me like that'.

He stood up and grabbed a cloth from a nearby table to dry his pants with.  
'I'm sorry'. he heard her say. He didn't miss the slight laugh in her voice when she said it.  
He turned to her to say it was alright but when he looked at her the smile he heard in her voice was nowhere to be seen. The look she did have on her face was one of pure horror.  
He raised an eyebrow at her and asked what was wrong. Reliasation then dawned on him she could now see his face very clearly in the candlelight.  
He had hoped he could tell her about his heritage before she was fully awake, but alas.  
Thinking it would be best to not come closer to her he started to explain.  
'Sorry if I scared you, I didn't mean to.' He swallowed hard, hating the explaining he always had to do. She just stared at him, her eyes still wide in shock.  
'I am here to watch you, keep you safe. If you like I can call for Cera.' She just nodded at him.

She watched him as he moved to the door and then dissapeared to the other side of it.  
Letting out a breath she didn't realise she was holding she threw back the covers and slid out of bed. Still weak from her wound she had to hold on to chairs, tables and the edge of her bed.  
She found her gear in the corner of the room. She quickly grabbed her dagger.  
'What the hell is going on here. Why is there a Drow at my bed? Wait... is this my bed? Where did he take me? Is Cera a prisoner of his aswel?' So many questions raced through her mind at once.  
The door opened and she saw him come in again.  
'Stay back!' She yelled as she held her dagger in a defensive way.  
Before he could say anything she saw Cera, her best friend, come through the door. Pushing the Dark Elf casually aside. He even let her nudge him.  
Cera then noticed the look of utter confusion on her friends face and looked to where she was looking. At him.  
'Em, no need to fear him. He's on our side. he's a friend'.  
'You think everyone is a friend, Cera!' She yelled at her friend.  
Cera's face went from smiles to an innocent shyness, eyes toward the ground. 'I do not think that everyone is a friend'. She replied with a pout. 'But this guy IS a friend' Was her quick and quite loud follow up. Her arms flailing as she said it.  
'He was assigned to keep watch by the Magistrate'.  
'So we are not his prisoners?' She asked Cera. 'Em! No! We are not prisoners'.  
'Then why am I not in my own house and in my own bed?'  
'Because moving you that far would have killed you' Was his reply. He hadn't moved from the near the door. 'This is a safe place. When you are well enough again you are free to go to your own home.'  
'So if I'm understanding all of this just right.' she paused for a moment. 'You are my ...caretaker?'  
'One of them, yes' he replied. 'Cera is another and there is a thrid.'  
She was calming down, the adrenaline leaving her body. 'Cera, can you help me back to the bed? This wasn't a very good idea'.

The next morning when she woke up and looked around the room she saw him again. Cera was nowhere to be found. He was reading a book and looked over the edge to see her awake. Before he could say a thing she was apologising to him.  
'I'm sorry. I didn't know.' her eyes looked sad when she said it.  
'It's ok, I'm used to it, or atleast, I should be used to it.' he replied quietly. His eyes went down towards the book.  
'Let's start over?' her voice didn't sound too sure to him but he nodded his approval to her.  
'I'm Elmyn, Bard by day, spy for the Magistrate by night. But I guess you already know that.'  
He nodded at her.  
'My name is classified by the Magistrate's orders, but everyone calls me Shadow'. Was his reply.  
'Shadow huh? It suits you I guess. Nice to meet you'. She geniually smiled at him for the first time and he felt his heart skip a beat.  
'Fuck' he thought 'that's the prettiest smile I've ever seen'. And then he knew this assignment was going to be the hardest one he had ever had.


	2. Chapter 2

The assignment given was the same one Elmyn had before she got injured. Find and get a hold of a dangerous artifact that can be used to open up gateways towards other plains. She had found the object, and the man who had it in his possesion. Elmyn didn't know his name but she knew he was a tyrant.  
While she was thinking about her encounter with this guy, nearly five weeks ago now, Cera and Shadow entered the Magistrate's office.  
Cera was being her usual cheery self again and was chattering about a dress she saw in a shop and how it would perfectly match with her jewerly.  
Shadow was visibly sighing at the human woman in front of him and when he looked at Em he made a gesture of hanging himself by an invisible noose and mouthing 'kill me'.  
Em snorted and shook her head. 'Cera, enough about the clothes. Any idea where our lovely friend Stabber might be?'  
'Stabber?' was Cera's initial reply. 'Oohhh... Stabber.' She said while pretending to stab her side in the place where he best friend was stabbed. 'We heard rumours he's traveling West from here. The description of him that we send to our allies have spotted a man like that in..'  
'Calimport' The three said at the exact same time. 'Probably securing a boat, but where is he going?' Shadow said, more to himself than to the others whilst he was looking at the large map that was on the table.  
They were currently in Almraiven. This would mean the man was long gone. It did not take five weeks to cross the Calim desert.  
'I say we still go. It's the only lead we have. Gather your belongings, prepare for a long and hot journey. I'll try to find a caravan east.' Em said while walking out of the room. Leaving Shadow with a way too happy Cera again who was nearly squeeling her delight about leaving here and going on an adventure. he just sighed again and followed Em outside.

Three days later the trio left Almraiven with a caraven toward Calimport. It would take them just around two weeks if there were no delays. Em could only hope and pray for a quit road ahead.  
One evening, after setting up camp Elmyn saw Shadow sitting on a higher sand dune, keeping the first watch. She grabbed two cups and a waterskin and made her way towards him.  
She sat down next to him in the sand. He didn't look to her and kept his blue eyes toward the stars.  
'What's on your mind?' she asked as she have him one of the cups that she had filled with water.  
He took the cup from her and took a small sip. He then turned to look at her. She looked truly beautiful in the moonlight. Her normally weath colored hair looked like silver under the illuminated night's sky. So did her grey eyes.  
'Just thinking about what we will do when we catch this guy'. he said quickly, hoping the dark of the night would hide his slight blush. They had talked like this a few times before while keeping watch. He had found out she was a half-elf, not a full blooded elf as he thought when he first saw her.  
In his turn he had also told her that he was a half breed. His mother concieved him when she was raped by a Drow when the foul creatures raided the lands where she lived. He was unwanted by her and was abandend by her when he was three days old. His adoptive father told him this. He had found the babe and just couldn't leave it to die.  
He also told her that he was never welcome and people shunned him and that he thought about taking his own life a few times. He also told her hedidn't blame her for her first reaction towards him. She apologised to him again. 'I never ment to hurt your feelings'. She said, gently squeezing his bicep. They sat there quietly for a while, looking at the stars. 'I'm going to get some rest now'. She yawned and stretched her arms over her head. 'wake me when it's time for my watch?' She walked over to the camp while his eyes kept following her, a small smile on his lips. 'You'll make living worth it again' He whispered to himself.

Their trip was fairly uneventful. Apart from a sandstorm nothing happend. Shadow learned that in her free time Em enjoyed writing songs. Even on the back of her camel she managed to write. The last day before reaching Calimport she asked him what he thought of her lastest writings. Elmyn told him she'd rather not ask Cera. 'She loves everything I write and I can't get decent critisism or feedback out of her. I'd value someone else's opinion'. she had said while she passed her notebook to him.  
He began reading and he was pleasantly surprised by her talent.

Look at your watch  
With a perilous gaze  
A troubled stare  
And when I ask where do we go  
Say you don't care

Call on me  
When the day is dark  
Never too late you're underrated

Whatever your sins, whatever your loss  
Your cup is filled  
There is no way to turn back the clock  
No one will

Call on me  
There's fire in your heart  
Lying in wait just like a lion

Maybe we should go back to the Earth  
And live off the sun  
Maybe we should crawl in the dirt  
Before we run

A thousand years of art and song  
Love and war  
Tell me why you joined the club  
What are we fighting for?

All hands on deck  
A suicidal race  
Prop up the good and smother the hate

The wall is high the sun is low  
The four winds roar  
Wide-eyed children fill the streets  
To take back the score  
There is no truth  
That lies can make  
No willing soldier in the wake

Maybe we should go back to the Earth  
And live off the sun  
Maybe we should crawl in the dirt  
Before we run

Life is fragile  
The flight of a sparrow  
Will end  
And the same goes for us  
Born from the same rain and dust

Maybe we should go back to the Earth  
And life will grow  
And the river soon to return  
And a plan unfold

Look at your watch  
With a perilous gaze  
A troubled stare  
And when I ask where do we go  
Say you don't care

Call on me  
When the day is dark  
Never too late you're underrated

'It's very good actually, Cera isn't wrong. I wonder what it will sound like when you sing it'. Cera, who had heard her name suddenly let her camel gallop in between her comapnions. 'You called my name, what's up!' Her voice way too cheery. No one would probably expect that this woman just had a near two week trip through a hot desert.  
'Nothing Cera, I just showed Shadow one of my songs. I told him you like all of them and that I valued a real opinion for once'. The look on Elmyns face told Cera she wasn't all too serious in her so called insult yet she was still able to produce a faux dissapointed face. 'Well then, I'll never ask you for help with my clothes and jewerly again.' She pouted some more and crossed her arms over her chest. 'pftt... Elves' She then muttered and sped up her camel a bit more to ride it next to the caravan's merchant.  
'She's something alright'. He said.  
'Yeah, abnoxtious, demanding and vain.' Was Em's agitated reply. Her face then softend up. 'But I love her anyway. She's been there for me, no matter what.'  
He then proceeded to pull his cloak further over his head as they were entering Calimport. They helped the merchants unload their goods and then made their way towards the harbour.

After a while they managed to find a dockworker that recognised the description of the man they were following.  
'He got on a ship towards Waterdeep a forthnight ago.' He had told Cera.  
The three then proceeded to figure out if there was any more ships going that was anytime soon. 'Well miss, you are in luck. There's a ship leaving for Waterdeep in 3 days time. Go to the most western dock. Look for the Sea Spirit. It's captain should be able to help you.'  
Cera thanked and payed the man, who refused the gold but settled for a kiss from the pretty human girl he had just helped.

They easily found the ship and it's captain. A cheery fellow that went by the name of Deurdemont. He agreed to take the two ladies and one more to the port of Waterdeep. Shadow hadn't come along in the city. His skincolor would give the ladies more problems than good fortune. He had chosen to stay at the room they had rented for a few nights. When they returned Cera was all smiles and telling in a cheery tone that everything was going according to plan. She then started to change into clean clothes and promptly left the room again to get some food. Leaving the two half-elves alone in the room.  
'If you are hungry I can get us something to eat aswel.' She asked him. 'Not hungry just yet.' was his reply. His voice lacked the strength it usually did have when he spoke to her. Over the past six weeks they had become friends and they talked about their childhoods a lot. 'What's wrong?' she asked him. 'You sound like you got kicked in the gut.' He turned to face her and looked into her beautiful eyes. There was no way he could hide anything from her perceptive eyes. 'I'm just, well, scared I guess. The captain and his crew will find out that I am Drow, or atleast part Drow. I don't want to get you and Cera in trouble or make this mission even harder than it already is. '  
Before he could say more she took a few steps closer to him and looked him straight in his eyes.  
'I will not let anyone harm you, my friend. If they mess with you they will mess with me. And if someone messes with me they will face the wrath that is an angry Cera.' She was poking a slender finger into his chest. The vision of an angry Cera made Shadow laugh out loud right then. 'What is she going to do, make everyones noses light up with her magic?' Elmyn was staring at him and blinked her eyes a few times and then raised an eyebrow. He was still laughing at the thought of lit up noses on their enemies faces. Elmyn got the same vision in her head and through the combination of that and his laugh she started laughing too.  
After a few minutes she wiped the tears from eyes and looked at him again. He stared at her, a smile on his lips. The look on his face made her stomach feel funny.  
'Thank you, seriously. I should believe in myself and the kindness of others some more'. he then said.  
Because she didn't know what to do and she didn't want him to see she was blushing she stepped forward again and to her own surprise she hugged him, hiding her face in his shoulder. She noticed she caught him by surpise, his whole body stiffend up. After a few seconds he relaxed a bit and returned the hug. 'You're welcome, friend'. was her reply.


End file.
